In Carley Fortune's Our Perfect Storm, Frankie's biggest fear at the beginning of her wedding weekend is that her childhood best friend and best man, George, isn't going to attend. What she doesn't anticipate is her fiancé standing her up. He leaves Frankie with only a brief note written on hotel stationery, and she spends months wondering what she did wrong. When George suggests they go on Frankie's honeymoon together, she agrees, seeing it as an opportunity to mend fractures in their friendship.
After they arrive at the beautiful coast of British Columbia, George presents Frankie with his plan: "We have seven days in Tofino," he tells Frankie, "Seven days to heal your broken heart." George's extensive itinerary includes daily themes such as "wallow" and "memorialize." Corresponding activities--relaxing on a tranquil private beach, learning to surf in glistening waves, hiking through the magnificent rainforest--make Frankie face the past and begin to view George through a fresh, enticing lens.
In chapters that shift between past and present, Fortune (This Summer Will Be Different; One Golden Summer) portrays the endearing childhood memoires, awkward teenage tensions, and heated adult attraction that develop into a beautifully nuanced friends-to-lovers romance. Frankie and George's playful friendship is perfectly paired with captivating romantic sparks, producing witty banter and a strong connection. As Frankie finds her spirit again and imagines what it would be like to follow her heart, Fortune's talent for capturing the sparkle of true love shines under the Tofino sun in Our Perfect Storm. --Clara Newton, freelance reviewer